Santander to close two bank branches in Dorset

Banking giant Santander has announced plans to close 95 bank branches across the UK, including two in Dorset.

The sites set for closure are Shaftesbury and Wimborne. Shaftesbury will close by 23 July, while Wimborne will be shuttered on 4 August.

Commenting on the closures, Santander says it is doing so because of the ‘rapid increase’ in people switching from banking in stores to digitally online.

In its assessment of the Wimborne branch, Santander claims that 92 per cent of customers who use the branch already use a variety of ways to do their banking, 72 per cent online, mobile or telephone banking services, and 32 per cent also use another Santander branch.  It adds that between July 2024 to December 2024, just 80 customers made three or more transactions and only used the Wimborne branch, while just a single business customer made three or more transactions only using the Wimborne branch.

The nearest alternative Santander branches to Wimborne are in Poole (nearly eight miles away by car or 47 minutes by public transport) and Ringwood (over 10 miles away by car, or 63 minutes by public transport).

The closure will mean Wimborne residents will only have access to Nationwide Building Society and the Post Office within Morrisons Daily for their banking needs.

The announcement comes after Lloyds announced in February that it was shutting its branch in Ferndown.